In 2023, the City of San Diego began a $13.2 million project to improve University Avenue and the surrounding roads while ostensibly increasing safety for pedestrians in City Heights.
And now we’re told the University Avenue Complete Street project is nearing its completion. This will bring much relief to local businesses along University Ave as many have had to chain their doors during the construction that seemed to have many delays, and for residents who’ve had difficulty finding parking. Fox5 San Diego is the latest local media to give voice to the frustrations among those business owners. (See this report by David Garrick of the San Diego U-T in early February 2025
If you take a trip down University Avenue, you’ll find a taste of Mexico just north of the border at La Princesita Taco Shop.
“Hope you’re hungry,” Chef Jay Peres said. “We’re ready to feed you.”
But, for the past eight weeks, La Princesita has been chained up in her castle.
“We’ve been kind of closed off with this fence, so it’s really impacted our business,” Peres said. “They closed the road and told us it would be opened the 26th, the cashier at La Princesita Roy Peres said. “It’s the 24th, and it’s still not open.”
The road closures shut down access for drivers and the MTS bus Routes 7 and 10.
“I’ve never seen them working,” Peres said. “I don’t know when they work, but then a couple of days go by and then I’ll see that they put this out or they move this. I don’t know when they work. They’re very mysterious about it.”
In a statement, the city explains, “In March 2023, the contractor encountered an unforeseen buried structure during trenching activities for the storm drain installation. After investigation, the structure was confirmed to be an active electric vault.”
“We’re chugging along for sure. I just really wish they would kind of hurry up,” Peres explained.
That delay took 15 months to address, pushing back the construction schedule. “It’s made our business drop maybe 80%,” Peres told FOX 5.
That means trouble for businesses.
“It’s not just this local business. Others are also affected,” Peres said when asked about the delay. But it also spells issues for residents trying to find parking.
“Two weeks more of agony,” pedestrian Bobby Cudal said when he learned the project will be mostly complete in April.
According to the city, this area is one of the most densely populated parts of San Diego, but it doesn’t look like it on the side of the shut down.
“It’s part of progress, I guess,” Cudal said. Still, loyal customers of all ages come back time and time again to keep the business running.
“We’re die hard. We’re committed,” Peres said. “We’re here every night regardless of what the situation.”
While the city expects the majority of the project to be completed at the beginning of April, they’ll still have minor work and cleanup to do through the spring.
